The Racing Appeals & Disciplinary Board has issued a warning about feeding knackery meat to racing greyhounds.

The RADB recently expressed concern about the number of cases in which swabs have tested positive for prohibited substances, most likely as a result of greyhounds being fed knackery meat that contain substances that are prohibited in greyhound racing.

The RADB said in a public statement that it would consider delivering higher penalties in future cases:

“We note that there is an unacceptable number of cases involving knackery meat coming before the Board. We will give consideration … after this date to higher penalties involving actual suspensions.”

The warning was issued following a hearing on 14 June 2018 regarding a greyhound which tested positive to Ketoprofen (an anti-inflammatory drug). Ketoprofen is used in veterinary medicine to treat sick cattle and may still be present in knackery meat. It provides pain relief and reduces fever.

GRV has previously advised against the feeding of knackery meat to greyhounds, and participants who choose to do so take the risk that prohibited substances may be inadvertently administered to their dogs, regardless of any assurances that are provided by the supplier. Participants are strongly encouraged to consider feeding meat that is fit for human consumption, cleaner meat that is unlikely to have been treated with prohibited substances (e.g. chicken or kangaroo), or a commercial complete dry food.

Some drugs (eg euthanasia solution that has been administered to livestock) may be detectable for several weeks after feeding and others (eg anaesthetic agents) are permanently banned and must never be present in a greyhound, including during out-of-competition testing, so feeding knackery meat at any time increases the risk of a positive swab.

GRV also takes this opportunity to remind participants of the risk of inadvertent contamination from personal medications (eg heart medication, pain relief, asthma medication), food or supplements that that may contain chocolate and caffeine and products from health food shops should also be carefully considered before giving them to a greyhound.

To view GRV’s Feeding, Medication and Supplement Guidelines go to the Greyhound Care section of the GRV website: greyhoundcare.grv.org.au/health-and-well-being/feeding-medication-supplement-guidelines/#Feeding

To read more about Prohibited Substances under Greyhound Australasia Rules (Rule 83 Greyhounds to be free of prohibited substances) go to: www.galtd.org.au/industry/greyhounds-australasia-rules